Furnace.



PATBNTED MAY .14, 1907.

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PURNAGB.

APPLIoATIoN FILED MAR.1e,1eoa.

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km @AW PATENTED `MAY 14, 1907.

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FURNACE.

APPLIoA'rIoN PILEDMAR. 16,1905.

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TM5 NoRms PETERS w., wAsHfNorON. n. c,

No. 853,721. PATENTED MAY 14, 1907,

W. M'OGLAVE.

` FII-RN AGE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16.1905. 4

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UNITED STATES ITENT OFFIOE.

WILLIAM MCOLAVE, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO MCOLAVE- BROOKS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1907.

vTo all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MoOLAvE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in furnace structures and more particularly to such kinds of structures as are capable of receiving and delivering air in a heated condition into the stream of .iame and burning products which pass from the fire-box toward the smoke flue.

The invention consists in certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed. Y

In the accompanying drawing-Figure l is a vertical central sectional view through a furnace embodying the feature of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion. of a battery of furnaces illustrating the manner of feeding air thereto. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail transverse section through a portion of the furnace taken upon a line 0,-?) of Fig. 1 and looking toward the rear portion of the bridge wall, a portion of one of the partitions being broken away for disclosing a portion of the other partition. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the rabbeted sealing bars interposed between the furnace arch and the head of the boiler.

It is the purpose of the present invention to so construct a furnace, especially a steam boiler furnace, that air passages may be arranged in the parts of the furnace adjacent to the fire-box and be supplied with air so as to be thoroughly heated by the heat units escaping through the walls of the said firebox and then be discharged into the column of flame and burning products after they have left the fire-box. For this purpose the furnace of the present invention is formed with a hollow top wall covering the fire box and a hollow bridge wall as will be hereinafter fully described.

The invention contemplatedl is also especially adapted for steam boiler furnaces, in

which the bridge wall is more or less centrally located with relation to the passage of the column of llame from the fire-box on its way toward the stack or outlet fiue and is especially useful in connection with water tube boilers like those for instance of the Babcock and Wilcox type.

In the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, I have included a tubular boiler of any usual type which in itself Vforms no part of the invention but is disclosed merely as illustrative.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 indicates a. steam boiler and 2 the water tubes thereof, which are arranged well to the rear of a fire-box 3 and so as to extend over a bridge wall 4. The fire-box in this instance instead of being arranged directly under the water tubes of the boiler is carried well forward of the boiler structure so that the greater portion of it lies outside of the main boiler supporting structure.

The fire-box is provided with a covering or top wall which is preferably constructed with an inner arch 5 and an outer arch 6, spaced above the inner arch for leaving an air space or chamber 7 between the arches. This air space 7 communicates with the interior of the furnace structure at the rear ends of the arches 5 and 6 Where crevices or spaces are formed between spacing bricks 9. The bricks 9 also support the edge of the upper arch with respect to the edge of the lower arch. The air space 7 at its forward end communicates with the exterior of the furnace by means of inlet passages 10 which extend upwardly through the upper arch 6. By admitting or forcing air through the inlet passage 10 to the space 7 and permitting it to esca e through the crevices 8, the air becomes highly heated through contact with the inner arch 5, which is located immediately above the burning fuel in the firebox 3. The air in its highly heated condition is thus discharged at a point to intercept and commingle with the mass of fiames and burning products as they pass out of the fire-box.

The structure of the bridge wall .forms an important feature of the present invention. The bridge Wall is extended, from its usual position with relation to the tubes'of the boiler well forward at the lower part since the fire-box as above stated is also extended ICO IOSV

forward in the furnace structure. The base or lower portion of the bridge wall is thus made of considerable depth or thickness from front to rear and is capable of accommodating a plurality of air chambers as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. l preferably arrange at least three of such recesses or air chambers as indicated at 11, 12 and 13. The walls 14 and 15 between the said chambers are provided with connecting passage ways or apertures 16 and 17. The passages 16 which connect the 'air chambers 11 and 12 are preferably arranged near the floors of said air chambers so that the air which enters the chamber 11 has to pass into the lower portion. thereof in order to reach the connecting passages 16 and pass into the lower portion of the chamber 12. The air thus rises in the chamber 12 and strikesA against the cover or roofing thereof where it becomes heated and thence it escapes through the passages 17 into the chamber 13. The upper structure of the bridge wall which lies immediately above the air chambers 12 and 13 is supported by hollow air ducts, beams oi bars 13. These duct bars 13 are preferably made of metal and may be formed of separate pieces secured together by bolts as 19. The duct bars or beams 1.8 are made with open sides 20 the openings in said sides being arranged in the upper portion of the chamber 13 into which said duct beams project. The rear ends of the said duct beams 1S are provided with outlet apertures as 21 which coincide with vertical outlet passages 22 formed in the upper portion of the bridge wall. Lateral discharge openings 23 receive the air from the passages 22 and deliver it into the flames and burning products as they issue from the ireebox. The discharge outlets 23 are preferably formed by spacing the upper bricks of the bridge wall a little distance apart as clearly shown in Fig. 4, the said spaces being practically crevices or narrow passages arranged between the said bricks.

The use of the hollow duct beams 18 contributes largely, to the proper heating of the air which passes through the bridge wall and makes it possible to utilize many of the heat units which would otherwise escape through the structure of the bridge wall. The said beams are so arranged that they pass through the upper portions of both the chambers 12 and 13 and the air in said chambers thus rises into contact with the bottom and sides of the said beams. This will be clearly ap'- parent from an examination of Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings. It thus follows that the air passes forwardly from the upper portion of the chamber 12 along the outside of the duct beams 18 and then into the ends of said duct beams and back again on the inside thereof.

The air is thus made to move back and forth immediately beneath the top of the bridge wall at its lower forwardly extended portion which portion may be practically considered a forward or auxiliary bridge wall 24;.

The air for circulation through the bridge. wall is preferably introduced into one end o1` the chamber 11 and may be impelled either under a natural draft or under a forced draft as preferred. When the natural draft is used an air inlet pipe is simply introduced into one wall of the said chamber 11, .l generally prefer to use, however, a forced draft and employ a blower or a fan for delivering th air under pressure into said bridge wall air chamber 11. As illustrated in the drawings, it is convenient to employ an air supply system which is capable of delivering air not only into the bridge wall but into the passage formed in the top wall of the lire-box. When supplying the air to both the bridge wall and the furnace arch, l usually arrange a main or principal duct or pipe 25 across the top of a boiler or across the top of the battery o1l boilers when a number of the same are juxtaposed. From the main 25 ln'ancluxd pipes as 26 and 27 extend forwardlv and downwardly, one as 26 to the front of the furnaee and to a point adjacent to they inlet apertures 10, and the other, as 27 extends dowm *ardly to points opposite the air chambers 1 1 in the bridge walls. lhere the pipe 27 extends between two adjacent furnaces, it is provided with b anch pipes at its lower end which extend into the air chambers 11 as shown at 28. The pipes 26 communicate with suitable boxing 29 which is prelrably arranged over the inlet apertures 1() so that air may be forced through said apertures int o the heating space 7 and be discharged into the furnace. here the boxing 2S) covers the apertures 1.0 of adjacent furniu'es, a connecting box 3() is used and controlling dampers 31 are arranged for each side of the furnace, so that one or the other side may be cut oh if desired or both furnaces may be eut olf from the air supply when that particular set of furnaces of a battery is not in use. Air is supplied to the piping just described by means of a blower or a fan, a comparatirely small f an as indicated at 32 being sulieient to supply the whole system with ample pressure for delivering the heated air into the furnaces through the furnace arches and bridge walls.

The air chambers 1.1, 12 and 13 are provided with clean out doors 33, 34 and 215 through which the said passages may be cleaned or blown ont at any time. The horizontal upper surface of the auxiliary bridge wall 24 may also be reached for cleaning it, by means of a door 36 arranged in the side wall of the furnace. A poker or hoe may be introduced at this point for such a purpose. A means is also provided for blowing out and cleaning from time to time the interior of the hollow duct beams 1S. Such means prefen lOO IIC

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' ing thereof by the hre box arch.

ably consists in a steam pipe as 37 which is passed through the rear ends of all of said duct beams, and extends transversely of the furnace.. The pipe is also vprovided with a return portion as 38 which is doubled upon the portion 37 extending back again parallel therewith and through the rear ends of the duct beams 18. The pipe 37 is provided with a discharge port or aperture opposite each of the ducts 18 so that when steam is admitted to the said pipe 37 a jet of the sameV will .escape in each of the hollow ducts and any material which has collected therein will be blown out through the forward open ends as at 20. This material of course will be discharged vinto air chamber 1 3 from which chamber it is removed through the door 35. In the event of the outlet apertures or perforations in the pipe 37 becoming clogged or the interior of the said pipe 37 being covered with scale, it can be quickly and easily cleansed by opening the outer end of the pipe 38 which is normally closed by means of a valve or stop cock 39. The swift passage of the steam through the pipe 37 and its return pipe 38 will blow out any accumulations within the piping. In this simple manner the duct beams may be prevented from clogging and may be kept in operative condition for the passage of heated air through them at all times.

In this style of furnace, it is desirable to provide for a movable connection between the front end of the boiler and the upper surface of the furnace arch. I accomplish this result in a simple manner employing for the purpose oppositely facing angle bars 40 and 41, having their outer flanges turned downwardly and their inner or upper flanges turned inwardly and lapped upon each other as clearly shown in Fig. 1. These bars are carried by the front of the boiler and a series of solid rectangular bars 42 are arranged between them so as to rest all their own weight upon the upper surface of the top of the firebox thus sealing the joint beneath the boiler head at this point. A bearing plate 42a, is placed on top of the furnace arch, and preferably embedded in its brick work so as to lie flush with its surface. This plate facilitates the movement of the arch beneath the sealing bar. While I may employ a single bar 42, I preferably use a number of sections having rabbeted end portions 43 lapped upon each other in such manner as to permit of expansion in the metal resulting from the heat- A jointed bar of this kind is also capable of accommodating itself to any unevenness in the top of the fire-box, due to the action of the heat upon the same. It will be evident that a movement between the boiler head and the top of the fire-box may thus be had without the admission of air at this point into the interior of the furnace.

From the above description, it will be evil dent that air may be introduced into the furnace arch and bridge wall in such a manner that it will be spread over highly heated surfaces adjacent to the fire-box and will then be delivered'into the volume of flame as it issues from the fire-box and passes upwardly about the tubes of the boiler. The air in its highly heated condition is thus so discharged as to be thoroughly mixed with the fiame and being supplied just outside the fire-box and not be taken up by the initial combustion of the fuel, will enter the iame at such a point that the oxygen thereof will combine with the smaller particles of carbon which have been liberated under the action of the initial combustion and for which there has not been a sufficient supply of oxygen in the fire-box. In this manner all of the iioating escaping particles of carbon which commonly issue from the furnace in the form of black smoke, will be taken up and'consumed in the furnace and the objection to the black smoke will not only be obvia'ted, but additional heat will be developed within the'furnace structure.

Of course it will be understood that I consider all changes in minor details of construction as well within the scope and meaning of the present invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :-v

1. A furnace air feeding structure, comprising a furnace inclosing wall, a bridge wall mounted to the rear of the fire-box of said furnace and having a lower air heating portion and an upper air heating portion, air spaces being arranged in the lower portion of the bridge wall, air heating duct beams supporting a portion of the structure and aiding in raising the temperature of the air, and means for directing the air from said beams for aiding combustion in the furnace.

2. An air feeding furnace structure, comprising inclosing walls, an interiorly arranged bridge wall provided with a plurality of air spaces and interconnecting passages, hollow supporting beams carrying the upper portion of the bridge wall and directing the flow of air through the upper portion of said bridge wall, means for forcing the air through the said bridge wall mechanism, and means for directing the air from the bridge wall.

3. An air feeding furnace structure, comprising a fire box iiclosing walls and a bridge wall located at the rear of the fire-box and having a principal and an auxiliary flame directing portion, the base of said bridge IOC IIC

wall being provided with a plurality of air spaces, some of said spaces being connected by passages near their lower nds while others are comiected by passages near their upper ends, hollow supp orti'ng beams mounted in the bridge wall and arranged to communicate heat to the air as it passes outside and inside of said beams, and means for delivering the air thus heated to the stream of fiame passing from the fire-box to facilitate the combustion of the flying particles of earbon.A

4t. A furnace air heating and feeding structure, comprising inclosing walls, a fire-box arranged therein, a bridge wall for directing flames issuing from the fire-box and formed with broad heating surfaces, laterallyT arranged air chambers formed in said bridge wall, the walls of said chambers having connecting passages formed therein, openings being also formed at the ends of said passages through which they may be cleaned, an opening also being formed above the bridge wall in the side wall of the furnace through which the bridge wall may be reached for cleaning, closures for all of said openings, means for guiding air which passes through the said air chambers, back and forth in the bridge wall in contact with heated surfaces, and means for directing air from the bridge wall into the furnace.

5. An air feeding furnace structure, comprising furnace walls` a firebox formed therein, a bridge wall projecting upwardly from the floor of the furnace and provided with interconnected air spaces, supporting hollow beam ducts carrying the upper structure of the bridge wall and extending over the upper portion of the air spaces, the said beam ducts being formed with side inlet apertures at one end and top outlet passages at the other end, means for forcing air along the sides and through the said beam ducts for heating it, and means for directing the air from said outlet passages into the furnace closure.

6. A furnace air feeding structure, comprising inclosing walls, a fire-box arranged therein, a hollow bridge wall formed within the furnace walls, transversely arranged partitions in said bridge wall forming air chambers, the lower portion of one of said walls being provided with apertures forming connecting passages between the air ehamlizers, another of said partitions being formed with upwardly projecting portions, longitudinally arranged air ducts supported upon the upper ends of said projections, in position for having their sides exposed to the air passing through the air spaces, the said ducts having apertures in their walls for permitting the air to pass into the interior thereof, and outlet passage-ways formed in the upper portion of the bridge wall and communicating with said hollow ducts for delivering the heated air therefrom into the furnace.

7. 1n a furnace air feeding striuture, the combination with a furnace inclosure, of a bridge wall arranged therein, and formed with a baffled passage extending from the rear toward the front of' the bridge wall, a return passage communirating with the front end of the baffled passage and extending rearwardly therefrom, means of communication. between the rear end of the return pas sage and the furnace inclosure, and means for supplying air to the ar end of the baffled passage.

S. :ln a furnace air feeding structure, the combination with a furnace inclosure, of a l;ridge wall arranged therein in the rear of the fire box and formed with means for sup plyiro heated air to the 'furnace inclosure, conmrising an air intake, a horizontally tortuous passage leading therefrom and air lreturn means communicating with the discharge end of the horizontally tortuous passage and with the said horizontally tortuous passage producing a vertically tortuous passage, .aid return `means directing the air in an opposite direction to the general direction of travel of air through the horizontally tortuous passage, the said return means being arranged in communicatnm with the furnace inclosure.

t). ln a furnace air feeding structure, the combination with a furnace inclosing wall, of a bridge wall mounted in the rear of the lire box and having a lower air heating portion, air spaces being arranged in the lower portion of the bridge wall, air heating duet beams supliorting a portion of the structure and arranged for aiding in raising the temperature of the air, means for delivering the air from said beams through the front of the bridge wall and an air feeding arch arranged above the fire box and haring its discharge directed across the discharge from the bridge wall.

10. A furnace structure comprising a lirebox, a bridge wall mounted at the rear thereof and having a series of air heating recesses therein, hollow beams extending above said recesses for suppmting the upper portion ol` he bridge wall, said beams communieating with said recesses, means for directing air through the hollow beams, means for directing air from the hollow beams to the re box, means arranged opposite the ends ol' each of the hollow beams for blowing out the sediment there Erom, and clean-out doors for said recesses.

l1. A furnace structure, comprising walls forming an inclosure, a bridge wall mounted therein aml provided with air chambers', in its lower portion, hollow beams arranged for supporting the upper portion of the bridge wall, said beams communieating with said air chambers, means of comil'lunication between said beams and the furnace iimlosiiie, a steam pipe extending through the ends of IOC IOS

hollow beams and having perforations opposite thereto, means for delivering steam to said steam pipe, and clean-out doors for said air chambers.

12. A furnace structure comprising inclosing walls, a bridge wall mounted therein h aving air chambers in its lower portion, hollow supporting beams extending across the said air chambers and supporting the upper portion of the bridge wall and communicating with the air chambers, clean-out doors for said air chambers, a pipe extending through the ends of said hollow beams and formed with a return lap also extending through said ends, the first-mentioned lap of the piping being provided with apertures arranged opposite the hollow beams7 the end of the return lap being provided with a stop-cock adapted to be normally closed, and to be opened for permitting blowing out of the collections of scales formed within the pipe and means for directing air from said hollow beams to the furnace inclosure.

13. A furnace structure comprising fur nace walls, a fire-box formed therein, the top wall arranged above the fire-box, a boiler extending at one end over the top wall, a sealing bar interposed between the furnace front and the said top wall, and a bearing plate mounted upon the top wall of the fire-box and supporting the sealing bar.

14. An air feeding and retaining' means for furnace structures comprising furnace walls, a fire-box formed therein, an air feeding top wall over the fire-box, a boiler mounted in the walls of the furnace and rest ing at one end upon the top wall of the firebox, limiting bars arranged upon the boiler front, and a sealing bar movably mounted between the limiting bars and resting upon the top wall of the fire-box for preventing the escape of air and the products of combustion above the said top wall.

15. An air feeding and retaining means for furnaces, comprising furnace walls, a fire-box formed therein, a boiler mounted within the furnace walls, a top wall extending over the lire-box and provided with air heating and introducing passages, means for sealing the spaces above said wall and preventing the escape of air or the products of combustion at that point comprising a sectional sealing bar resting upon the top wall of the fire-box, and bars carried by the head of the boiler, and engaging the said sectional bar for holding the same with respect to the boiler, the expansion or contraction of the fire-box wall being thus permitted by the loose contact of the bar therewith.

16. An air feeding and retaining mechanism for furnace structures comprising in combination with a fire-box and a boiler, a top air feeding wall or cover for said fire-box, a sealing bar for preventing air from escaping above said top wall, said bar being interposed between the top wall of the fire-box and the head of the boiler, the bar being made up of a series of rabbeted sectional bars arranged upon said top wall, a bearing plate on the top wall for holding said rabbeted sectional bars movably in place, and means carried by the end of the boiler for loosely inclosing said rabbeted sectional bars and holding them in position upon the top wall of the fire-box.

17. An air feeding mechanism for furnaces comprising a fire-box, a cover or top wall extending over the same, means for preventing the escape vof the air above the said cover or top wall, comprising a gravity actuated sealing means loosely resting upon said top wall, a bearing plate on said wallmaking a close joint with said sealing means, and yet permitting of movement between the parts, and means for holdin the said sealing means against the furnace front.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM ,MCCLAVE Witnesses:

CAssELL SEVERANOE, JOHN L. FLETCHER. 

